Meaningful relationships with members of the community are an essential part of keeping any evidence-based program afloat. However, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to building and maintaining these connections. Hear from a few professionals working with Chinese American older adults about their strategies for staying engaged with the community.

Use a multi-prong approach to foster community relationships

The On Lok-30th Street Senior Center identified relationship-building as a key approach to developing successful evidence-based programs. Ken Wong and Astrid Chen highlight the importance of deepening connections through attending events, building rapport, and genuinely getting to know the people you serve. The value of these relationships extends beyond program participation, as they create a sense of trust, mutual respect, camaraderie, and investment in available programs. 

“In building these relationships, some people are actually doing things for us as favors. Because we have built these relationships. I see them as friends. People I respect and they respect me back. And we do things for each other.”- Wong

Sara Tan, Executive Director of Boston-based organization Enhance Asian Community on Health (EACH), shares her strategy for increasing engagement with the community. "We're always looking for ways to expand our reach," says Tan. "Whether it's partnering with housing sites and community centers or connecting with other organizations, our goal is to empower older adults to lead healthier lives." 

Ultimately, traditional, “one-size-fits-all” strategies may not resonate with diverse audiences. Wong's advice is clear: "Use that multi-prong approach; there is no one perfect way." This underscores the importance of cultivating relationships through various channels, acknowledging that different strategies may resonate with different people and partners.

5 best practices for expanding strong community relationships

1. Use warm contacts and neighborhood champions. Community members are more likely to sign up for a class when they’re approached by someone familiar or someone who shares their culture. For example, On Lok identified a champion on staff from the local Asian community to attend a workshop and talk about it at work and with his social connections. He also brought his grandmother! This helped establish support among the community and lend credibility to the program.
2. Participate in local events to show your interest and respect for the community. In addition to participating in health-related events, like community health fairs, it’s also important to be present and supportive of other local events, like neighborhood street fairs and coalition meetings. Building sincere relationships and following through on commitments is important. As one community member noted to Wong, “You listen, consider our situation, and do what you say you will do.”
3. Identify local promotional opportunities.  All communities rely on different forms of communication. Get to know what works best for Chinese Americans in your area as each neighborhood has very distinct culture and communication preferences. For example, local newspapers in San Francisco are a common place for residents to get information. However, in Boston, a key strategy is to bring the programs to residential buildings and promote among residents.
4. Conduct broad outreach. In addition to implementing programs within the service area or at the organization’s own locations, look further. In Boston, EACH has been connected to organizations across the state of Massachusetts that need support offering programs in Chinese. This has led to a natural expansion of program implementation. Comparatively, On Lok created a list of all Asian-focused organizations in San Francisco. When they’re looking for new implementation sites, they try “cold calls” to connect and see if sites would be interested in hosting the program. 
5. Support implementation sites. EACH tasks a well-known volunteer at each site with helping recruit participants and sharing about the program in the right language. This representation of programs at every site provides wider reach into the community. Similarly, On Lok always tries to share the responsibilities for implementing the workshops and encourage organizations to share leaders with other implementation sites, when possible.

Building relationships and cultivating strong advocates are critical to building successful evidence-based programs in your area. By embracing these strategies, organizations can effectively engage with diverse communities, deliver impactful health programs, and create a positive and lasting impact on participants' well-being.

A special thank you to our contributors:

On Lok-30th Street Senior Center (California) serves a community of 6,700 adults in San Francisco with a variety of community-based services including evidence-based programs.

• Ken Wong, Healthier Living Program Specialist 
• Astrid Chen, Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Program Leader

Enhance Asian Community on Health (EACH) and AgeSpan (Massachusetts) has served participants in Boston since 2014. Prioritizing their core values of compassion, integrity, dignity, and respect, EACH provides programs focused on prevention and wellness, financial security, arts and culture, and community advocacy. AgeSpan connects people of all ages and abilities with information and services to help them lead fulfilling lives in the community.

• Sara Tan, Executive Director, Enhance Asian Community on Health (EACH)
• Melissa Donegan, Director, Healthy Living Center of Excellence, AgeSpan

This project was supported, in part by grant number 90CSSG0048  and 90FPSG0051 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.